This undated file photo provided by Barr Pharmaceuticals Inc., shows a package of Plan B' One-Step, an emergency contraceptive. Groups representing doctors and reproductive health advocates want the pills available over the counter. For now, girls under 17 need a prescription. / AP

by Kim Painter, Special for USA TODAY

by Kim Painter, Special for USA TODAY

Plan B debate: Dozens of groups representing doctors, reproductive health advocates and others have signed letters asking the federal government to reverse a year-old decision that kept the emergency contraceptive pill, Plan B, behind pharmacy counters and unavailable to young teens without prescriptions. There's no word on whether any change is under consideration. (NPR)

Surgical infections: A surgeon at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles accidentally infected the hearts of five patients with bacteria from a skin inflammation on his hands when he got small tears in his latex gloves, hospital officials say. The patients survived. (Los Angeles Times)

Salt and sugar: Kids who eat a lot of salty foods appear to wash them down with extra servings of sugary drinks -- suggesting that cutting down on one might help kids cut down on the other and better control their weight, researchers say. (WebMD)

Today's talker: Call it the miracle of the eggnog. Each year around this time, people around the country enjoy a beverage that is made with raw eggs -- a known source of salmonella food poisoning -- and yet there is no upsurge in cases. Is a higher power at work? Not exactly. As ABC News reports, the secret is in the alcohol: It kills most of the bacteria, especially in traditional recipes that sit in the refrigerator for weeks.